http://ww2.ps-sp.gc.ca/publications/news/2...0050401-2_e.aspBACKGROUNDER
Federal-Provincial-Territorial of Ministers responsible for Justice
DNA Missing Persons Index Consultations
Missing Persons Investigations
Every year, Canadian police receive about 100,000 new reports of persons who have gone missing. Law enforcement agencies use the Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC) to record and report missing persons cases nationally. Of the 100,000 persons reported missing each year, the overwhelming majority return or are found very quickly. Nevertheless, the RCMP estimates that there are approximately 4,800 long-term missing persons cases in Canada overall, with an average increase of around 270 new, long-term missing persons each year.
Missing persons investigations are not primarily a matter of criminal law (although any individual case has the potential to become a criminal investigation, depending on the circumstances) and generally speaking, they are undertaken by the local police service. Across Canada , current law enforcement practice varies in terms of collection of DNA relating to missing persons--DNA is not routinely collected in every province or territory as part of a missing persons investigation. Moreover, in those instances where they have been collected, there is currently no process for systematically gathering and comparing DNA samples.
Standard practice is for police and coroners to use other techniques such as dental records and fingerprints to identify anonymous human remains.
Legislation Governing DNA Collection
Federal legislation governs the collection and storage of DNA as part of criminal investigations.
Current federal legislation does not authorize the creation or holding of a DNA index of either missing persons or of unidentified human remains. And while provincially-appointed coroners have jurisdiction over, and responsibility for, unidentified human remains, there is no provincial or territorial legislation authorizing the creation of DNA Missing Persons Indices within these jurisdictions.
Copies of the consultation paper can be obtained from www.psepc-sppcc.gc.ca/publications/policing/mpi/index_e.asp. Written submissions are requested by June 30, 2005 .
Date Published: 2005-04-01
Date Modified: 2005-04-01